Temperature surge; Sunday thunder
Our minutes of daylight increase nicely as we go through April.
April in Minnesota can also bring us some impressive temperature swings.
The official Twin Cities high temperature was 56 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, and we'll see rising high temps the next couple of days.
We should see highs in the 60s in the Twin Cities metro area and much of Minnesota this Friday afternoon, with some 50s in northeastern Minnesota.
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The warming trend doesn't stop there. Temps take another jump on Saturday.
Highs in the 70s will be common over much of Minnesota Saturday afternoon:
Parts of southwestern Minnesota pop into the lower 80s.
In case you're wondering, our average high is 53 degrees this time of year in the Twin Cities metro area.
Northeastern Minnesota will see Saturday highs in the 60s, which is well above their normal high temp.
Temps fall back a bit on Sunday in southern and central Minnesota, with highs in the 60s:
Twin Cities metro area highs are expected to be in the mid 50s on Monday, lower 50s Tuesday, then around 60 Wednesday and Thursday.
What about the end of next week and beyond?
The Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a good chance of above normal temps for the period from April 12 through April 16:
Sunday and Monday rain and thunder
A low pressure system is expected to track through far southern Minnesota Sunday, followed by another low-pressure system on Monday.
Periods of rain are expected Sunday into Monday over most of Minnesota. A few thunderstorms are also possible Sunday and Sunday night.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System forecast model shows the potential rainfall pattern Sunday through Monday:
The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the potential precipitation rate, not the total amount of rainfall.
Rainfall amounts Sunday through Monday could be in the one-half inch to one inch-plus range over much of Minnesota:
2016 was our wettest year on record in the Twin Cities, but it's been fairly dry in recent weeks.
Precipitation (rainfall plus the water content of snowfall) is 1.53 inches below normal since March 1 in the Twin Cities metro area.
Sunday severe risk
The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a slight risk of severe thunderstorms Sunday and Sunday night over most of Iowa and a small part of far southern Minnesota:
The remainder of southern Minnesota has a marginal risk of severe weather.
A marginal risk of severe weather means that isolated severe thunderstorms are possible.
We'll keep you updated on the potential for thunderstorms and severe weather this weekend.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 and 9:35 a.m., plus 4:35 p.m., each Saturday and Sunday.